by Kelly Pickerill
It may feel like Spring is never going to come but it’s not too early to start dreaming about summer fresh meals with friends and family. Keeping the kitchen cool while wowing your guests gastronomically can be a challenge during the summer. With the help of the Home Made Summer cookbook, summer in the south is able to coax the most creative out of us.
The first Home Made cookbook, written by Yvette van Boven, has been out for a few years. She’s based in Amsterdam, though the recipes, geared towards the do-it-yourself cook, often have a flavor of the Irish and French, both of which are influences on her. Home Made Winter was chock full of recipes for comfort food, and now, Home Made Summer, which has just arrived, will prepare us for the sweltering months ahead.
Yvette says in the introduction, “on hot summer days, few people are keen on spending long hours in the kitchen.” We concur. The cookbook is organized rather differently than many cookbooks, with the breakfast, lunch and tea time recipes being first and most important, followed by drinks, many of which include tonics and cooling remedies for the hot days ahead, and then, finally, main courses and desserts. Among the recipes you’ll find inspiration for the barbecue, accompanying salads that are a cinch to prepare, cold soups to relieve the hottest days, and drinks that will capture the flavor of the summer while giving respite from it.
Many of the recipes in Home Made Summer involve little cooking time, with many dishes that essentially look after themselves. When the summer months come, we are eager to spend our energy with our friends, not in the kitchen. This cookbook helps us do exactly that, while reminding us of the importance of eating healthy and sustainable food.
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